


Losing Sleep

by Ivory_Bangle



Category: Love Death & Robots (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 02:18:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18714514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ivory_Bangle/pseuds/Ivory_Bangle
Summary: Kali is having trouble sleeping. Sui offers to help.





	Losing Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> My AO3 debut. Thought I’d venture over from FF.net and get into this fandom on the ground floor.

“Shit... oh shit, ohshitohshitohshhhhiiiiiiiffffffuuUUUCK!!”

Rookie's back struts went rigid, and for a minute, Kali thought he'd locked up from the strain. Then he dropped onto his stomach back onto the hard cot again, grinding his teeth behind one good arm.

“That's it. I'm shutting a couple off,” she declared.

“No!” he almost snarled at her. “I'm good! I'm fine,” he panted. “I'm fine.”

“This is the opposite of fine, Rookie!” she snapped right back. “You're gonna fry your sensory array.”

“I'll be okay, Kali. Really,” he promised. “Just … just gotta get … through … fuck.”

She watched him try willing himself to stay still through the calibration this time, but the restraints on the installation braces creaked again, holding his new limbs still.

“Hey,” she tried coaxing, laying a hand on the back of his head. “Come on.”

Rookie opened his dim blue optics to meet hers. He looked beyond burnt out.

“There is no good reason you can't do this one at a time.”

“You need me,” he argued vehemently.

“Not yet we don't. It could be weeks before the next raid,” she lied. “And Bob can take care of himself if it comes right down to it. He doesn't like it, but he can. Just the arm today?”

His optics closed again. “I'm fine.”

For fuck's sake … She was surrounded by stupid, stubborn, and suicidal blockheads.

“Alright,” she sighed, rising to her feet. “I'll be back to check on you.”

“Get some sleep, Kali. Please,” he insisted, turning his face away from her and the growing light of late morning in the door. “Doc'll be around soon.”

“Yeah, but he won't try talking you out of this bullshit. I'll be back.”

She stepped out into the swelling heat of the day and shut the corrugated steel door behind her, shoving her weight into it to make it latch in its crooked frame.

“Fuck,” she groaned, rubbing her hands over her face as she waited for her optics to adjust.

It would be amazing to get some real sleep. She felt blasted right now, in fact. But, all she'd manage to accomplish if she lay down would be stare at the ceiling of Rookie's or her room, mulling over the thousand and one things on her processor. 

Sleep was an old reflex from life Before, and it took so little jack up the fragile memory of the cycle. She'd be another volunteer for 24 hour sentry duty before too long. Not that she minded. Kali wanted to contribute. But she was really going to miss the luxury of those few hours of not thinking about anything - or dreaming about better things.

For another moment, all she could process was sharp, white light as her dark optics adjusted to the bright of day. If sentry duty really was in her near future, she'd finally have to give up her matching set and find one that wasn't primarily night vision. Movement was the first thing that she could make out in the blur. One of the Tracies waved at her from the watchtower, and she waved back letting them know that she knew that they knew she was out moving around the complex.

Might as well do something productive. Somewhere near the top of her list was cleaning her rig before the next raid. Even if it really didn't happen for another few weeks, raids were inevitable, and the heat and dust wreaked havoc on the rigs if they neglected the upkeep.

Kali climbed the ladder down to the ground and crossed the common area, heading for the tunnel that ran under the butte the outpost was built in and around. Hawk was coming down from the catwalk to start another circuit of his patrol.

“Kali,” he greeted, shouldering his rifle. “What are you doing up?”

“Pretty sure I’m losing the reflex,” she confessed. “How the hell do you not go insane?”

“You adjust.” He shrugged. Hawk had been awake 24/7 since before Doc had brought her online.“Going up or down?”

“Down,” she said, nodding for him to lead the way down the narrow stone steps. “I need to work on my rig. Might see what's making that cylinder misfire since I've got so much time on my hands now.”

“Hold off on anything major,” he said as she fell into step beside him at the bottom. She looked up at him in time to see his left optic glow to life and dilate to the dark of the tunnel as they left the pool of daylight.

“Something finally happening?”

“Bob says there's a lot more chatter about that convoy taking the Thruway. Maybe tonight.”

“Heard anything about what they're hauling yet?” Please, please, please, don't be something they needed.

“Military grade microchip.”

“Fuck me,” she breathed. “That's not gonna just be some vault truck with a couple escorts.”

“It'll be an armored transport with all the bells and whistles,” he agreed. “But, we've done it before.”

“We? I was guarding Bob,” she reminded. “You and Suit did it - with Flint. And they painted that tunnel with him. In case you forgot how we ended up one short in the first place.”

“Four of us can handle it.”

“Four.” She had not just heard that. “Hawk, I trained him to take my place guarding Bob.”

“And you did a great job,” he commended. “He can drive. He can shoot. He's ready.”

“Rookie can't go. He won't.”

“I already asked him. He wants to, so I'm going to give him a chance,” Hawk dismissed as they emerged on the other side of the tunnel.

“THAT’S why he's up in his bed screaming through calibrations on three limbs at once!?” she hissed in his face. “Bob hasn't even backed him up yet!”

“He will first chance he gets.”

“And, what good will it do anyway? If you're sending him to get shredded, he won't learn anything from something he has no memory of.”

“But, we'll have that microchip, and we’ll be able to replace Flint next chance we get. That’s what good it will do.

Kali blinked at him dumbfounded. “No. You can't just …”

“We'll talk about it later, okay?” he said, patting her on the shoulder. “Change your rig's oil. Go see if Sui and Tracy need help blasting out the shelter. It might help you get some sleep again.”

Her stupid stare dissolved to a scowl at his back. “Selfish, cocky motherfucker,” she growled under her breath.

She walked past the camouflaged bay doors of the garage to the furthest personnel entrance. It didn't surprise her the overhead lights were already on. Someone always forgot to turn them off. She was surprised, however, to catch the acrid smell of smoke from a terrible excuse for a cigar before seeing its source.

“Are you seriously smoking and changing oil?”

She skirted around the front of Sui's rig to where his legs were sticking out from the opposite side.

“I can multitask,” the voice beneath defended.

Kali rolled her eyes – a human habit she didn't think would ever fade in current company.

“I thought you were helping Tracy dig out the shelter.”

“I was. I hauled all the big stuff out for them.”

“Then what? Tracy took the C4 away?”

Sui chuckled, wheeling himself out from under the rig. “That and I got tired of talking to myself,” he grinned.

“Holy shit. That's a first.”

“Yours is done already,” he interjected when Kali bent to pick up the tools beside him. “What are you doing up and around anyway?”

“Oh … Thanks.” Well damn. Maybe she could go help Tracy. “I couldn't get to sleep.”

“Again? Little early for ‘The Change,’ ain't it?” he asked, with one air quote.

She kicked his side hard. “Fuck you.”

“Any time, anywhere. I keep telling you,” he laughed.

Damn it. She hated walking into those.

“I need sleep not nightmares,” she scoffed, busying herself with organizing the tools on the bench.

“Aww, you don't mean that,” he sulked, getting to his feet. She felt him at her back.

She arched a brow at him over her shoulder. “Don't I?”

“Come on. If you wanna get some shuteye, a good hard fuck's the fastest way to overload your sensory array. Just max your input, and it'll knock you right out.”

Kali looked up from the wrenches she was sorting and shook her head in disbelief at him.

“Is a good hard fuck your solution to everything, Sui?”

“Not EVERYTHING,” he said, shrugging his shoulder.

“Too sluggish? Let's fuck. Too wound up? Let's fuck. Depressed? Let's fuck. Nervous? Hey Kali, let's fuck. Not psyched about a raid … ” she listed, counting them off on her fingers.

“Wanna see if it'll settle a losing argument?” he grinned.

She tried really hard not to crack a smile.

“Whoever it is keeping you “fucking” functional has their work cut out for them.”

“Shit. This hell is self-service only,” he grumbled. “I beat my hardware like it owes me money.”

Kali did laugh then, and it was impossible to hide it. Shit. Now she was encouraging him.

“What?” he demanded but waited for her to collect herself. “You think I prance over to the OTHER camp out here in the middle of Irradiated Bumfuck NOWHERE every morning to get my rocks off?”

“I try very hard not to think about your rocks, Sui,” she snickered. “Guess I assumed a Tracy had the hardware. Crish still calls herself a her too.

“One: Tracy creeps me the FUCK out,” he explained, raising a finger. “And two: Even if Crish had anything below the waist … she's so MEAN. I only stepped on her once.”

Kali stifled another giggle and reached up, plucking the cigar out of his teeth.

“How do you do it, Sui?” she asked, taking a drag of the awful smoke without grimacing. Shit. Why couldn't she keep sleep and forget what real tobacco tasted like instead?

“Easy. Just open the panel, pressurize, think of your ankles behind my head, and …”

“Sui, no …”

“Sui, yes!” he grunted, managing a lewd gesture with one fist.

“I MEANT … ! How did you hang on to so many things … from Before?” she clarified. “You still sleep whenever you feel like it and smoke this shit. Hell, you still laugh at your own fart jokes.”

“And fuck,” he added proudly.

She sighed. “Yourself at least.”

Sui chuckled, bending to meet her eyes levelly. “Because they're mine. They've always been mine, and I don't give up anything without a fight.”

“How sentimental,” Kali deadpanned, blowing smoke in his face.

“I haven’t heard ‘No, Sui. I don’t want you to bend me over the hood and fuck my relays out’ yet.”

“Sui, I haven’t hooked up since I had original parts,” she muttered, flicking the ash away. “Been even longer than that since I actually wanted to.”

“But, you’ve not traded in the hardware yet,” he pointed out, leaning closer and rapping the metal below her waist with one knuckle. “So, don’t even try telling me you don’t get 'sentimental' with yourself once in a while.”

The anticipation of heat rushing to her face was a very human reflex. Thankfully, she wasn't able to complete the blush anymore.

“I never said I didn’t. But, it's not helped me sleep, for the record.”

“Well clearly, you're not doing it right,” he reasoned, scratching his chin in thought. “Who do you imagine railing you?”

“I'm going back to my room,” she announced, pushing him away. “Thanks for the oil change.”

“Come on!” he laughed. “I'm just trying to help! Is it Doc?”

“It's none of your business, that's who!”

“Is it … Bob?”

“What?! No!”

“Tracy?”

“Ugh! I don't like the idea of all of them silently watching themself fuck me any more than you do.”

“Kind of hot when you put it that way,” he considered, then smirked knowingly. “How ‘bout Rookie? You do know he's got the hots for teacher, right?”

“Bye, Sui.”

“Uh oh! Did I guess it?” he teased. “Or give you an idea? Think of all the ways you could make him beg and cry.”

“NO,” she said firmly. Now she couldn't get that out of her processor. She mashed out his cigar just to spite his ass. “Stop. Please. STOP.”

Sui bit his lip and waggled a finger at her.

“I bet you'd love to see somebody’s pretty blue eye lookin' up at you from between your legs and …”

“I'd love to kick his teeth in,” she growled, finally fed up enough to shove past him. “Fucking asshole.”

Sui's smile sobered and he turned in time to catch her arm.

“THAT … wasn't supposed to piss you off for real,” he stated seriously. “Something I should know?”

“Nothing about Hawk you don't already know,” she grumbled.

Sui ferried her back a few paces so she could lean on the workbench and lowered himself to rest on his hocks, eye level with her. He didn't need to listen to her bitch about orders he couldn't change, did he?

“He's going to take Rookie with us to raid an armored military convoy.”

“Holy hell …”

“I was just training him to take my place! That's it! Not go on a suicide mission.”

She shook her head, glancing over at Rookie's own rig beside hers.

“I trained him how to fight. Helped you guys with teaching him on the rigs. Went to the dump with him to look for parts and upgrades,” she listed. “All for Hawk to treat him like a tool he can throw away.”

Sui shrugged. “Could anyone talk you out of going on your first raid?”

“My first ‘raid’ was escorting Tracy to the dump,” she pointed out. “Rookie’s not even done that. He’s going to freeze up as soon as the targets start shooting back at him.”

“You trained him better than that, Kali.” He nudged her with his elbow. “He'll be fine.”

“Yeah,” she scoffed. “Hawk said the same thing.”

“Hey. Look at me,” he said. Kali did so reluctantly. “He'll be fine. I promise.”

She arched a brow at him. Sui didn't make promises.

“I won’t let nothing happen to him. Cross my heart,” he swore, drawing an X over his chest. He looked down. “Or … was it over here?”

“Well … that’s better than nothing.” Kali smiled. “Thanks.”

“Whatever,” he dismissed with a wave, rising back to his full height. “I think you should try sleeping again. In case we are raiding tonight.”

“Yeah.” She felt … relieved. “Sorry I didn’t need a blackout fuck after all.”

He shrugged, not looking too disappointed. “Guess that means I got time to check over Rookie's rig.”

Kali walked back to the door she’d come in and paused to glance over her shoulder once more. Sui was already bringing up the schematic for the other rig on the console above the bench. His fingers paused on the screen.

This was not happening. No. She was not about to do this.

Kali walked back over to where he stood.

Shit.

“You … uh … forget something?” he asked too casually.

Kali smirked, rolling her eyes again when he finally glanced behind him.

“You tell NO ONE,” she warned, jabbing a finger at him.

“Our little secret,” he conceded, grinning impossibly wider.

“I still ... “

Sui swiped tools, chests, shelves and everything off the bench, not breaking eye contact.

“ ... Sui!”

Kali stiffened in his grip when he captured her at the hips, and she found herself face to face with a predatory smile.

He cocked his head, bent close, but stopped short - waiting.

The old buzz of excitement ghosted across her neural net, and Kali crushed her mouth against his, wrapping her arms around his neck and digging her fingers into the sensitive workings beneath his collar guard.

Sui growled against her mouth at the sensation, and she was deposited on the empty bench between his thighs so his hand was free to press her closer. But, Kali jerked her head back.

“I still think you’re a fucking lunatic,” she exhaled in a rush.

“Well, of course.”

Good. Now she could comfortably put off regretting this until later.

Fingers followed her spine up, and Kali let him direct her attention back to his mouth. She pulled her feet up and out from between them, and Sui happily accepted the invitation when she crossed her legs behind his pelvic struts.

His teeth moved to her neck and shoulder, and she was coaxed to her back under his weight. He was going to forget he could crush her, her processor managed to worry. But it was quickly dismissed when he found a tender fuel line, and a thick thumb pressed into the wires at the juncture of her inner thigh, sending fire through her array and straight to her core. 

“Ah ... fuck, Sui …” she whispered.

She found his crest of hair and pulled. He approved, rewarding her with more razor kisses up her throat. His hand slipped around to the small of her back, pressing her up against his front. Then it was back and moving down, tracing the seam in the metal as far as it went. It splayed over her front and up her chest. Thumb and finger pushed her chin aside so he could have another go at that fuel line.

“Mmm … open.” His breath was hot and his voice rough in her audio.

Let no one ever accuse Sui of being a romantic poet.

She had to grab his wrist to shift her weight and slipped a hand between them. As soon as she let go, his hand ventured down to explore what her fingers were doing.

“Kinda hot down here for a charity fuck,” he announced to what sounded like the entire complex in her audios.

He straightened enough to look down.

“Shit. You are … damn ... “ he mumbled.

“Hey! Don’t stare!” she scolded, thankful again that she couldn’t blush.

“You’re so pretty though,” he whined, batting both of her hands away.

“Oh my god, Sui. Stop using your words,” she groaned, resisting the urge to hide behind her hands.

“Fine, fine. If you insist,” he sighed dramatically, leaning over her again.

He curled his fingers around the back of her head and neck and pulled her up with him as he stood again. Kali sucked another kiss at his lower lip and tried to read any emotion in his visor as he studied her. She caught his hand before he had to let her go.

“It’s not exactly a charity fuck,” she confessed, sliding her hands down his chest to the mechanics of his hips between both their legs. “Okay?”

Sui’s smartass reply was cut short.

His body shuddered against her as she released the catch and spread his legs to give her better access as she palmed the underside of him. God damn, Kali thought to herself but didn’t give in to the urge to look down. Nope. Didn’t want to know. It was too late to back out now anyway.

He scooped her up on his arm without ceremony. Kali tightened her legs around him and found gaps in his plating to grab. She yelped when he plunged into her, and Sui swore between clenched teeth. He stumbled on his feet and had to rest his weight against the workbench again.

“Damn it … Kali … ” he grunted, savoring the resistance as she adjusted.

She felt her CPU beginning to prioritize, making everything but Sui surrounding her and moving in her feel like warm, white and distant static.

“... fuckohfuck ... “ he groaned to the ceiling, fingers digging into the one thigh he could grab.

He finally paused, her hips nested completely in his, so both of them could savor the staticy throb of feedback. Sharp corners of his frame dug into her thin armor, and it was Kali’s turn to swear as she tensed around him.

Sui looked at her like he would’ve sold or traded any part but his dick for another arm.

“You … you wanna sit? Let me do this?” she offered.

“No!” he hiccuped a laugh. “Fuck, no. I won’t last ten seconds watching you ride me.”

“You’re such a gentleman.” Kali grinned evilly and tilted her hips against the angle of their juncture. “But, I don’t need to be on top to fuck myself on your cock, Sui.”

“Holy … fucking … SHIT!” he growled, bucking hard enough to make the steel and iron bench bang against the wall behind them and making the tension coil tighter and her head feel dangerously floaty.

“Sui ... ” she gasped. “Sui!”

“More of that, eh?” he panted.

Yes. Please, and thank you. But, she only managed a nod in the affirmative.

“Hang on to me.” He hefted her higher, and Kali managed to coordinate her motor functions enough to comply. “And don’t stop screaming my name.”

His hand loosened on her leg and moved to the small of her back so he had a better angle to hammer into her.

“Yes!” she yelped. “Sui, fuck! Right there!” She didn’t care about the whole complex hearing now.. “Ahh … ffuuck yes. Fuck!”

“Yeah. Just like … that ... “ he sputtered.

The break was the last clear sensation. She felt herself lock up - her fingers in his armor, her legs around his hips - and Sui stiffened with a feral snarl as she seized around him.

Then it was just blissful black oblivion.

Shit. She was pretty sure Rookie didn’t sleep this good.

Kali ... 

She frowned. Some stupid ass dream she always had about not being able to hit stationary targets right in front of her came in and out. 

Kali.

“Kali!”

“Fuck off! I’m up.” She looked around for the landmarks of her room and felt disoriented.

“I’m glad,” Hawk said, unimpressed, from over and behind her. She scowled at him.

Kali sat up, and winced at a kink in her neck and shoulders.

“Bob says the convoy’s due at the tunnel in 94 minutes.”

“Shit. Right. Okay.”

“Why’d you sleep in Sui’s rig?” Rookie asked. He looked a hell of a lot better, at least.

Good question. She looked around, and her eyes were drawn down. Better question … why the hell hadn’t Sui woke her up in time to buff all these scratches and paint off of her plating.

“Evenin,” Sui smiled, leaning over the side of his rig. “Sleep good?”

“Sui …” she warned.

“No, no. No need to thank me.”

His arm and the tops of his hips were scuffed with the same incriminating marks for all the world to see.

“I am going to dismantle you,” she hissed.

“What?” he asked innocently. Then smiled. “I didn’t say anything.”


End file.
